Sever the Darkness
by HoldoutTrout
Summary: Set just after "Birth," Emma honors a deal with Mr. Gold and hopes to defeat the darkness for good. This is an alternate take on the end of season 5A. There is Captain Swan, but a heavy focus on Swan Queen friendship. Major character death.


"I want to make one more deal," Gold said.

Emma circled him. "And why would I make a deal with you? You have no power any more. What could you possibly offer me?"

Gold shrugged. "A favor. You never know when you might need a favor."

"And what do you want in return?"

Gold said, "I want your protection from Hook. As you said, I have no power anymore, and I don't trust that he might not decide to take his revenge after all."

Emma was still for a long moment. Gold didn't try to plead with her. He just waited.

Finally, she nodded. "We have a deal."

Gold smiled. "Excellent."

* * *

"Emma Swan!" Gold called, twisting away from the sweep of Hook's sword. "We had a deal!"

Hook hesitated, but when Emma didn't appear, he laughed and swung again. Gold dodged again, but hit a display case and went down.

Hook took a step and loomed over Gold. "I have waited a long time for this." He raised the sword and swung-and missed as the rug he was standing on was yanked out of place. Hook stumbled but didn't fall, recovering and turning to find Emma just inside the door.

"Swan," Hook said. "I didn't think you'd care about the crocodile."

"Gold and I made a deal," Emma said, lowering her hand from the motion she'd made to magic the carpet. Behind Hook, Gold struggled to stand, leaning heavily on the display case. A glass vial rattled toward the edge, and Gold grabbed for it before it could fall.

Hook pointed the sword toward her and she stopped. "Now why would you do that?"

Before Emma could answer, the door swung open and Mary Margaret, David, and Regina piled in. Mary Margaret said, "Gold! You have to get Belle and get out of here, Hook's a Dark One and-oh."

Emma waved a hand and everyone except Hook froze where they stood. "You're not going to interfere," she said. "This is between him and me."

Killian smirked. "That's more like it. A real challenge." He held the sword in his hand as he circled, keeping a wary eye on Emma. "Although I seem to remember this went better for me last time."

"You had an advantage last time."

Killian cocked an eyebrow. "I have the sword this time."

Emma glanced at it. "It can't control me."

"True. But will keep you from harming me, and it's still a sword-" Killian lunged, but Emma was already gone, behind him. She twisted a hand toward Gold just before Hook turned back around.

"Quick, but not quick enough," he mocked.

"Really?" Emma taunted.

Killian frowned, but before he realized what was going on, Gold threw the vial at Killian's feet. It shattered and released a swirl of dust that climbed up Killian, freezing him where he stood.

"No!" Killian said. Emma came over and pulled the sword from Killian's grasp.

"You should leave," she said to Gold.

"I'd rather stay and see how things turn out," he said.

Emma shrugged. "Suit yourself." She froze him into place again.

"Why-" Hook said.

"Gold and I made a deal," Emma said. "He agreed to owe me a favor if I promised to protect him from you."

"You'll have to kill me to keep me from killing him."

Emma's eyes reflected a cool and distant sadness. "Yes, although I had thought-hoped-it wouldn't be necessary."

"You're the one who saved me in the first place, _love_ ," Killian said.

"I made a mistake," Emma said. "And it's time to undo it." She glanced at her audience-they still couldn't move, but their eyes showed their anguish. A single tear rolled down Mary Margaret's cheek.

She looked past Mary Margaret and David, to Regina. "I should have remembered that trying to hold on to something too tightly never works in the long run." Regina kept the eye contact that Emma offered, and although Regina's expression didn't and couldn't change, Emma seemed to draw strength from it.

"You're looking at this all wrong, Swan," Killian said, his antagonistic tone melting into warmth and invitation.

Emma turned toward him again.

"There's another way," he said. "Together we're more powerful than anything in any land-even any deal," he said, looking at Gold. "We could go anywhere. Traversing realms would be nothing. We could leave this place, go anywhere, do anything." He grinned at her. "We could take my ship."

"And you'd leave your revenge for that?" Emma said, sounding thoughtful. "You'd leave this place intact? Leave Gold alive?"

Killian's face darkened, then cleared. "For you, Swan, anything."

Emma rotated the sword, seemingly considering Killian's offer. Then she shook her head. "No. I don't believe you, and even if I did, I can't let myself be that person."

Killian's mouth twisted into a sneer. "You're weak. If you were stronger, you'd help me gut him and destroy the rest of this town before shaking its dust off your feet."

"Maybe," Emma said. She hefted the sword. "But you're just trying to stall me until you can escape." Killian's finger twitched but Emma lunged forward and drove the sword into his chest.

The ground shook and darkness poured out of Killian, wrapping around the sword, flowing up the blade and across the hilt before grabbing hold of Emma, who shook with the force of it. She kept the blade as steady as she could and kept her eyes on Killian as he collapsed at her feet.

"Swan," he croaked. As the darkness left him, his expression lightened until the darkness was all absorbed by Emma. As soon as it was, Emma withdrew the sword and dropped to her knees, still keeping one hand on the sword but cradling Killian's head in the other.

"I'm so sorry," she said, bright tears in her eyes. "I had to-"

Killian took a breath that rattled in his chest. "You-"

"I love you," Emma said, her throat tight with emotion.

"Love… you." Killian struggled to keep his eyes open. "Thank you-" he said, before his eyes closed for good and he slumped to the ground.

Emma's eyes squeezed shut and she pressed a kiss against Killian's lips. She lingered a moment, then straightened and stood.

She held up the sword in front of her. The light glinted off the one name on the blade-Emma Swan-and for a moment the darkness swam in her eyes. Then she turned back to her family and the darkness abated.

"Now-" her voice broke. "Now we finish this." She held out a hand. "Regina. I need your help."

Regina stumbled forward, released from Emma's spell.

Emma held out the sword. "Take it."

Regina's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Emma almost-almost-smiled. "Twice you've proved that I was right to trust you with the dagger. Prove me right again."

Regina's mouth firmed and she nodded, taking the sword from Emma.

"I'll show you what you need to do," Emma said. "Quickly-" the darkness seemed to well up again, and Emma stilled. "I can't hold it back for long. It would be so easy..." Regina shivered at the longing in her voice.

Emma closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were clear. She held out a hand, and Regina grasped it.

"You have to use the sword. On me."

"No-" Regina gasped.

Emma said, as if she hadn't heard, "Merlin became who he was when he drank from the grail, and he forged the sword from the grail to sever that power and let him lead an ordinary life. The sword will allow you to cut the darkness from me and draw it back into the sword. The sword severs, and the cup will keep the power contained."

Regina drew in a sharp breath. "You have got to be joking."

Emma said, gently, "It's the only way."

"But Hook-"

"He was… unwilling. It makes a difference." Emma looked away and muttered "It should make a difference. And the darkness won't go into you."

"Emma-"

"Do it." Emma gritted her teeth as another wave of darkness swept through her. "Now!" She dropped to her knees in front of Regina, keeping her face turned toward Regina's, her eyes open.

Regina hesitated for less than a second, and then she took the sword and plunged it deep into Emma's chest.

If taking the power from Killian had been violent, it was nothing on this. The blade flashed with light even as the darkness coiled around the blade, twisting virulently and running all the way up the hilt-but Emma was right, it didn't reach Regina. The darkness slowly drew back into the blade, roiling over itself, and the blade shone that much brighter until Regina couldn't see anything besides the blade and, just beyond, Emma's face, twisted in agony.

Emma's arms came up and her hands grasped Regina's forearms, and they were locked together. The darkness ripped out of her, coming in wave after wave, flowing around them both but never touching them, always being drawn back into the sword.

Around them, Gold's shop was being torn to pieces. Pictures fell off the wall, heavy books and miscellanea crashed off shelves. Outside, a cacophony of alarms filled the air. It felt and sounded like Storybrooke was shaking apart beneath their feet.

And still the darkness came.

Regina held on even though it hurt, agony pulsing through her arms, her chest, and she couldn't breathe or close her eyes against the brightness of the sword.

Finally the darkness slowed, the brightness dimming, little by little. Emma's face grew more distinct, and Regina began to wonder how she would know when to pull out the sword-and then she realized she could feel the remaining darkness, get a handle on the measure of it where before it had seemed limitless.

She smiled. They were almost done-just a little more, and Emma would be free-

Emma dropped her hands, whispered, "Enough."

"It's not done," Regina said.

"Stop now," Emma insisted. "My choice."

Regina understood suddenly what Emma meant. She _wanted_ to leave some of the darkness inside herself, wanted to have the same choice that anyone else did, to choose between the light and the dark.

Regina nodded and pulled out the sword.

Emma went white and collapsed.

"No," Regina breathed, the sword clattering to the ground. It bounced-once, twice, and then it began to spin, faster and faster, until it was a blur.

Regina grabbed for Emma and pulled her away. As she watched, the sword folded in on itself, becoming a shapeless thing, and then reforming into a cup. It hovered in midair for a second and then settled onto the ground. It was, inexplicably, full of water.

"Don't touch it," Emma croaked.

"Emma!" The shout came from Mary Margaret, released from the spell that had immobilized them.

"Mom-" Emma said, and Mary Margaret enfolded her in her arms.

"Hey-hey- I can't breathe," Emma said. Mary Margaret loosened her grip but didn't let go.

"Emma," Mary Margaret was weeping. "Are you really back?"

Emma smiled, and it was her own smile although her appearance hadn't changed. "Yes. I'm back."

David embraced Emma on the opposite side.

Gold gave the grail a long, hard look. Regina too was caught by it. There was something unsettling about it, and she had no intention of trying her luck, even if Emma hadn't warned her. She stepped back again just as Gold stepped forward. The movement caught Emma's attention and she looked up. Her eyes drifted to where Hook's body lay on the ground, and she seemed to close herself off for a moment before she looked at the grail.

"Don't touch that," she warned again. She stood with some of the unnatural stillness from when she was dark, shaking off her family's hands, and grabbed at air. A length of cloth appeared between her fingers. Using the cloth, she carefully picked up the grail, careful not to tip it.

"I need to put this somewhere… safer." She turned, and disappeared-not poofing, just-gone. Without the grail, Regina noticed that the shop seemed different somehow. For the first time, they took in the damage to Gold's shop. Almost nothing was where it ought to be-trinkets were smashed on the floor or in their cases. Books were flung haphazardly everywhere. There were cracks in the plaster.

"I hope you have insurance," Regina said wryly.

"I hope the town has insurance," David said. Outside, the alarms were dying, one by one. He opened the door, having to jerk it out of its frame, and they stepped into the late afternoon sun. The block they were on had the worst of it-Gold's building was actually relatively unscathed. One store looked like it had crumbled into dust. On the next corner, the clock tower had fallen into the street, narrowly missing a parked car. A new crack in the pavement ran up the street. But the rest of the place looked more or less whole.

Mary Margaret took a breath. "What about Hook?"

"I'll get the dwarves to help me," David said. "After we find out if anyone's hurt. Gold, do you-" David stopped, puzzled. "Where's Gold?"

"I'm not sure he followed us outside," Mary Margaret said.

"I wonder what he's up to now," Regina said.

"Hopefully nothing," David said. Down the street, another alarm began blaring. "I better get to the Sheriff's station." He gave Mary Margaret a quick kiss before starting to jog down the road.

"I'm going to find Granny," Mary Margaret said. "She was watching Neal." She took off in the other direction, leaving Regina in the middle of the street, wondering where Henry was-

There was a pale yellow poof and Emma reappeared, without the grail. She looked winded. "That should hold for now," she said. "We're going to have to figure out what to do with that thing long-term. It's too dangerous for Storybrooke. Even with the cloth around it, it was… potent."

"Agreed," Regina said. She had some experience with objects that weren't entirely comfortable to hold. Her mother's spell book, for one. And that book wasn't anywhere near capable of granting immortal life or power. She'd felt the pull of the grail when it had still been in the shop, and she wanted it far, far away from her. And Gold. And… well, pretty much everyone.

Emma said, "I checked on Henry, too-the school is fine. He was… pretty happy to see me." She smiled.

Regina could only imagine-she'd bet Henry had known the minute he saw Emma. Emma had been rigid as the Dark One, and already Regina could see her edges softening, returning closer to the Emma Swan she'd known for more than two years. Emma turned her head and that same softness reached her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, "for doing what needed to be done."

Regina shrugged, uncomfortable. "I don't understand why me," she said.

"Gold could have done it," Emma said. "I made sure he could wield Excalibur. But I trusted you."

"As simple as that?"

"Yes," Emma said. She sighed. "Unlike all the apologies and explanations I'm going to owe everyone. Unlike giving everyone back their memories. Unlike-"

Regina knew she was thinking about Hook. She reached out and took Emma's hand. "I'll help. I can help return memories and shore up buildings, although you're on your own for the explanations and apologies part." Regina shuddered, deliberately making it a little theatrical.

She was rewarded by an amused huff from Emma. "Thanks."

Across the street, Marcus' sign suddenly crashed to the ground.

"That thing will just not stay up," Emma commented.

Regina laughed and didn't let go of Emma's hand.

* * *

Notes: I did not touch on who cast a dark curse/how it was cast in Camelot because although I promise I have accounted for it, it, like Arthur, wasn't relevant to this story. Other dangling threads are stuffed behind the tapestry and you can't see them anyway. Really.


End file.
